User blog:Ar-cen-ciel/A Certain Day at Intelligence Division's Commander
This story is written in response of the release of the 16inch Triple Gun Mount Mk.7, and with it, the implication of the inclusion of the ever-famed Iowa-class battleships from United States of American Navy. Chapter 0 : Breaking News 22th January 2016. There is less than a month left until the one-year anniversary of the Admiral Ciel's commanding career. Normally, he's celebrating the Setsubun with his shipgirls, and indeed, he was mixed up with the sheningans of his fleet until just now. But then a sudden call come from the least expected caller... Admiral Ciel : What is it? That was an inconvenient call, as you can hear just now. Intrepid Journalist X : Sorry, but this breaking news is way too urgent to be ignored. Admiral Ciel : Well, I'm already disappointed by the remodeling plan the other day. So what is this month's ranking rewards? Intrepid Journalist X : Hmhmhmm, don't go jaw dropping now. Cuz it is none other than the 16 inch Triple Gun Mount MK7. (beat) Admiral Ciel : (plugs a headphone jack into the phone) ...16 inch? Is that an Abyssal cannon or something? Intrepid Journalist X: Ah, you have that "I won't believe it" reaction. You have researched them before, right? The pride of the US Navy, that is. Admiral Ciel : (speaks with a whispering tone) ...the Iowa-class battleships. I would've hardly ever thought that anything remotely of Murican origins would appear in my command. Intrepid Journalist X: Exactly. It's quite a pandemonium out there. Many the admirals out there been talking about the possibility of their masters were reincarnated as shipgirls right about now. Admiral Ciel : So, can I get a visual of it? I won't be convinced by texts and voices alone, you know? Intrepid Journalist X: Allright, allright. But promise me that you'll give me an awesome reaction, okay? Admiral Ciel : You could do with 50% less teasing, could you not? Intrepid Journalist X: Geez, that's so very cold of you. That being said, here you go. (after scrutinizing the visual and parameters of the gun turret...) Admiral Ciel : ...Now I got myself a reminder against going at their bad side. Intrepid Journalist X: Feeling a bit of regret now for not pursuing the toplist, eh? Admiral Ciel : And what do you plan to achieve by using live voice calls? Telegrams would serve this news just fine, is it not? Intrepid Journalist X: Well, maybe just for you, I'll spill the beans to your entire fleet. It'll definitely be fun to see how the news unfolding in front of them. Admiral Ciel : I never thought you would need another "lesson" until now, now would we? (Meanwhile, on the other side of the door...) ??? : Lesson? What did he meant by that? (Unbeknownst to Admiral Ciel, he was tailed by one of his commands...) Intrepid Journalist X: That was just a joke. I'm honest. Really, you should lighten up your fleet a bit more, don't you think? Admiral Ciel : I have my own ways to command my fleet. That being said, if you would so much stir a... (suddenly hangs up the line) Admiral Ciel : (after realized that there's someone behind the door) ! Who's there?! Intermission: Journey to the East? Yorktown (CV-10) : ...seems like the someone had shipped one of the Mark 7 turrets to the Far East. Enterprise (CV-6) : Who in the world have the guts to smuggle our weapons there? Yorktown : Well, actually... (Meanwhile, another shipgirl shows an iPad with a footage of the introduction of the 16" mk7 gun) North Carolina (BB-55) : Oh come on, look at this video. That was quite the pandemonium over your gun out there. Iowa (BB-61) : Well, that makes things easier. We're going to pay a visit there anyway, so this is a convenient welcoming gift from us. North Carolina : Sure is tough to be a popular lady when your big gun is so far-known, eh? Yorktown :So, now that we have much of the Atlantic under the ropes, it's the time to focus on the Pacific. North Carolina : Can I visit them too? I would like to give my regards to the Kongou-class battleships too. Maybe we could assemble the "Fast Battleship Union" with them. With me taking the leading role, of course. Yorktown : Sadly, no can do. You still have to do the convoy patrols at the Atlantic Ocean. North Carolina : Whaaaat? Iowa managed to go on a vacation trip while I'm stuck with such a boring role? Yorktown : It is nevertheless an important role. We've finally managed to reestablish the trading route, so it is our duty to protect it. Iowa : Don't worry. I'll ask my sisters to keep your company. There's no need to overburden yourself. North Carolina : Then I'll simply get myself bored-out before you even get back... Iowa : We're currently attempting to get the Mark 7 and Project mk8 well underway as well. If you do this job well, you might be able to equip one of the guns I currently have. You do want to be at your prime for your rematch, right? North Carolina : W-well, I guess it can't be helped... Yorktown : So far we have already freed our side of the Pearl Harbor and Solomon Seas, so that leaves us with reestablishing our contact with Japan and Australia. For the best possible outcome, I had recommended our Admiral to formulate a two-front operation for our goal. So, our team will be handli... Enterprise : I'll handle the Australian convoy patrols. They're our important allies after all. Yorktown : What, you're gonna be a no-show after everything you've done there? That lucky turkey girl there have a score to settle with you, you know? Enterprise : I believe that there is someone who are better-suited to open their door for now. After all, (looking at Iowa) you do intend to give our regards to Yamato, right? Iowa : But of course. I'd like to see her in person. It might be interesting to have a match and sailing alongside her. Yorktown : Well I guess we'll leave it to you then. I know we used to be at the opposing side back then, but I'm not sure if could face her after the one-sided beatdown as we were now. I'll be your escort until you reach the safety area. Enterprise : Try not to rile them up too much. We've already have our hands full with just the Abyssal Fleet... and my successor as well. Iowa : There's no need to worry. I've been trained for the diplomatic roles as well. I don't spend all those decades of service in the world of living for nothing. North Carolina : Funny that our almightily feared "Grey Ghost" were concerned over diplomacy. Seems like you had awakened a soft spot for them as well? Enterprise : Well, of course not. I'm willing to take them on and show them again if they resist. But with the Abyssal Fleet being a worldwide problem, even a remotely humane ally would be a great help. Better to have unholy alliance than having too many enemies coming for us, after all. Yorktown : But, uh, Big E, the latter is on our side, is she not? Enterprise : She's quite an enigmatic fellow, that girl. So enigmatic that our Admiral had essentially permitted her to reign independently from the rest of us. How could such a ship that had been serving our country obediently over the decades to become such a wild card, we do not know. Yorktown : Well, that's probably just you. She's quite a carefree girl herself. At the very least, the only one she doesn't really get along with is you, and according to her, somebody she called the "Old Salt" as well. That said, I won't deny the feeling that she knew something that we don't... Chapter 1 : Secret Discussion Admiral Ciel : Ushio? What are you doing here? Ushio : Uhm, Ooyodo is asking for your presence at the Construction Yard... Admiral Ciel : Ah, yeah. I remembered that they are supposed to arrive today. More importantly though, how much have you heard? Ushio : Uhm, I had just came here. And I didn't hear a thing. Really. Admiral Ciel : Oh, really? (moving a step closer to Ushio with a slightly intimidating pose) Ushio : I swear, I really didn't. I wouldn't tell anyone about it. I promise. Admiral Ciel : Well, whatever. They'll be here soon anyway, so I might as well tell you this: Words are going on that the nameship of the state-of-the-art US battleship had her guns at the HQ's doorsteps. Ushio : e... E-ehhhhh? Admiral Ciel : (quickly mums Ushio's mouth) I don't expect you to keep your mouth shut, but you should've hold your scream at least. Ushio : Ah, sorry... B-but... then, what happened to US Navy? The High Command said that they had lost contact for years... Admiral Ciel : (showing the 16-inch Mk7 gun visuals on the phone screen) Well, as you can see, the guns looks completely intact. One can presume that they are alive and well, if only hardily hanging on like we did. If we could convince that the Abyssal Fleet is the greater threat, we could get them to join our cause. Ushio : Ah, yes, it would be great... to have them at our side. Admiral Ciel : Are you scared at that prospect? Ushio : N-No. It's just feel kind of odd... to think of the possibility to team with our former enemies against the enemy we're facing now... Admiral Ciel : I know. But that oddity may come and go pretty soon. We'll be playing nice to each other. I'll make sure of it. Ushio : (nodding) Um, alright. I'll trust in you. Admiral Ciel : Then it's settled. Now, I gotta go to the Construction Yard... Chapter 6 : Land-Based Aircrafts (currently in prototype stage) 25th April 2016. The upcoming total war was estimated to be about a month from now. As usual, our fleet are preparing for the upcoming operation. Admiral Ciel : If this plane is that good then I began to dread just how fearsome that "flying brick" could be. Graf Zeppelin : Which flying brick are you talking about anyway? Admiral Ciel : I... might explain that in due time. Graf Zeppelin : According to the info from test pilots, those bombers hold an impressive amount of payload, and their operating range are outstanding. That said, even though they're really powerful... Admiral Ciel : ...They're a little bit on the heavy side, aren't they? They were supposed to be launched from airfields, after all. Graf Zeppelin : Exactly. Their wingspan is quite large, and they're too heavy to be reliably launched even with catapult assistance. Even if we can launch them, we have nowhere to land them as they'll simply run over our flight decks. Admiral Ciel : Well, that's just so nice of them. To showcase an early prototype ahead of the infrastructure needed to support them. Admiral Ciel : So, where would be our airfield? Graf Zeppelin : Well, it seems that we might have to find that one out for ourselves. Judging from our previous operations so far, it's most likely that we'll be launching them from what was now the Honiara International Airport. Admiral Ciel : ...the Henderson Field of Guadalcanal, huh? Chapter 9 : Fame Summoning Again? (currently in prototype stage) Admiral Ciel : So it have come to this... Admiral Ciel : This card again? Shigure: Yeah, the High Command ordered us to use this card in the indicated coordinates further west from northern Sumatra. Admiral Ciel : This summoning card is a peculiar one. Due to the shipgirl summoning system, the potential site for the summoning tend to be asynchronous from the places that they were once existed. Admiral Ciel : But in this case, the predetermined shipgirl is overridden to summon the most famed ship in their class. That is why Iowa was summoned in place of Missouri back then. Chapter 12 : After the Liberation Sometime after the Summer 2016 Event... ??? : My, the enemies around here sure are a tough one. Not exactly a pleasant place to be with no one in the company. Enterprise (CV-6) : I can assure you it's not. But the tides are calm for now. We probably won't get another chance to rest like this. ??? : If you say so, I owe you one. Having your planes as the cavalry of the skies really helps our asses out there. Enterprise (CV-6) : It's really thanks to your effort in the frontline... and the airbase. Unlike you, me and Yorktown can't engage them head-on. ??? : Anyway, has this place been like that since they first appeared around here? Yorktown (CV-10) : According to the reports, there has been a naval operation around here in a little over a year ago. ??? : You mean, that Operation Aegis? If it weren't for a living proof we got around here I would've thought it was just another embellishment from these Japs. Yorktown (CV-10) : I suppose so. But she have covered our fleet quite well, She certainly lives up her role as an anti-air destroyer. Enterprise (CV-6) : Well, she sure has improved since I first saw of her. She still have ways to go though. Now, if only she could open up to us... Yorktown (CV-10) : Can't really blame her for that. She didn't really remember much, and the first thing she knew about her life right now is that she needs to cooperate with us. Not the most secure job to be. ??? : Speaking of which, we've got a telegram from the High Command. Chapter 16 : Vestiges of the Atoll Sometime after the Fall 2016 Event... Enterprise (CV-6) : Hmm, looks like they've made off with the Sara-maru. These Abyssals are rather troublesome too. Yorktown (CV-10) : Whoa there. That's a rather un-noble attitude from you to Sister Sara out there. Enterprise (CV-6) : Well, I was thinking of giving her a little spanking had things didn't turn out well in the Solomon Seas. Yorktown (CV-10) : Woah, that's a bit harsh of you. We had to dock for months back there, I'm sure you didn't forget that... Enterprise (CV-6) : ...who the heck is that drunkard? USN DD : I recalled that she is the girl Missouri had talked about. That Zara-class cruiser or whatever... Chapter 25 : MK2 Modifications (In prototype stage) Meanwhile, in the Italian forward base... Admiral Ciel : So, what's the deal with that flight deck? It looks kinda similar to Shoukaku's... Akashi : She was attacked mid-modernization from the air raid yesterday, rendering her original catapult irreparably broken. We have to make do with the catapult we've salvaged from the Aircraft Carrier Summer Princess we've fought a few days earlier. Admiral Ciel : But we've stationed as many anti-air ships as we could right there, did we not? Even the Atlanta-class cruiser from US Reinforcement fleet were there. Graf Zeppelin : Yes, but the third wave of air raid caught us completely by surprise. Most of our interceptors were running on fumes, our ships running out of anti-air munitions, and Flint herself was one foot away from getting foundered. Teruzuki : That's right. She was already barely hanging on after taking these devastating strikes from these enemy planes. It was a gruesome moment right there and then, I thought we were nearly finished. Had Sara and Graf not saved us, we wouldn't have been standing here today. Admiral Ciel : Well, that might explain why the CV Princess weren't there to escort the European Princess. But still, prioritizing Saratoga's refitting over our main fleet or air base... what's the hell is going on... (Saratoga comes out from the dry dock) Admiral Ciel : Ah, Saratoga. It's good to see you are okay. Saratoga : It's good to see you too, Admiral. But I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more help... Admiral Ciel : No worries. As long as you're okay that's all that matters. Come on, we've got a victory party to celebrate. Saratoga : It's not that... It's about the remodeling. Admiral Ciel : Ah, that. But I heard that the new flight deck worked perfectly well for the replacement... Saratoga : Well, actually, Enterprise had shipped the second batch of F6F night fighters to our forward base. Admiral Ciel : Ah, that's surprising nice of her, considering what I heard of her opinion from HMS Malaya... Saratoga : but it was all destroyed during the air raid just as we were about to ferry them to the dock. (beat) Admiral Ciel : Were nothing spared from the raid? Akashi : Several of the blueprints had survived in the hand of the brave fairies who had made a run for their lives to deliver them to us, but the night radars were damaged beyond repair. Some of their parts were salvageable from the original planes. But with our limited expertise on US planes, it could take a month or two to rebuild them... Admiral Ciel : (sarcasm mode) ...And so we had to replace the original catapult with the Abyssal-salvaged one, and the samples and blueprints for night fighters were torched just enough to force us to rebuild them from scratch. Crazy coincidence, all that. Chapter 26 : Reunion Meanwhile, a white-haired girl with a uniform similar to the Akizuki-class shipgirls ran into the scene, desperately catching her breath. It was quite apparent that she had ran through a fairly long distance. ??? : Is the Commander here? Teruzuki : Yes, we're talking to him right now... wait, that presence... is that you? Admiral Ciel : Is that your sister shipgirl by any chance? Akizuki : Suzutsuki. What are you doing here? We've looked everywhere for you. Suzutsuki : Akizuki-nee. It's been a while. It's good to see you well. Teruzuki : Likewise. it's great that we've finally meet again. How are your Choujuusenchihou-chan doing? Suzutsuki : Ah, about my riggings... well, they're currently in repairs right now... Akashi : Are you all right? You should be getting some rest. Suzutsuki : Well, Hatsuzuki said the same thing as well, but I'll be fine. And more importantly, I have very urgent news to the Admiral and the US fleet. Admiral Ciel : An urgent news at this time? Now that sounds serious... Category:Blog posts